1. Field
The described technology relates generally to a substrate cutting apparatus and a method of cutting a substrate using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A substrate cutting apparatus is used to cut a glass-based, base substrate of a flat panel display into a desired product size. Flat panel displays include organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, liquid crystal displays (LCD), and the like. A flat panel display is advantageous, due to having a thin profile, such that the demand therefore is gradually increasing. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for a flat panel display including a glass substrate having a thickness of 0.3 mm or less.
In general, a substrate cutting apparatus is equipped with a CO2 laser and a cooling device, in order to cut a transparent glass substrate. That is, the substrate cutting apparatus instantly heats the glass substrate along a cutting line, using the CO2 laser, thereby generating compression stress. Then the apparatus instantly cools the heated portion using the cooling device, thereby generating tensile stress. If such thermal stress is applied to the glass substrate, micro-cracks are generated, thereby causing the glass substrate to be cut.
However, the thinner the glass substrate the more difficult it is to smoothly generate such micro-cracks. This principle is the reason why a thinner glass container is less likely to be broken by hot water than a thicker glass container. Accordingly, a conventional substrate cutting apparatus is problematic, in that it cannot easily cut relatively thinner glass substrates of a flat panel display.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology, and therefore, it may contain information that does not constitute prior art.